Dosing way too much ESV 2-part?

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bearman88

bearman88

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Ok don't ask me how I created this monster, but after dosing ESV 2-part for the past 2 years, I am finally realizing I am overdoing it.

RedSea Reefer 250 (65g). Been dosing 65ml Calcium and 140ml Alk daily, divided by 4 doses each day, offset 30 minutes between Ca/Alk doses.

My calcium has remained stable between 420-450 for many months now. But my alk swings from 9.2-11.2 week to week. I cant keep it stable. The biggest issue is, all my pumps and powerheads are locking up very often. Except my skimmer pump. That is the only one for some reason that hasn't locked up ever.

Also, my nitrates won't read over 5-6ppm usually, even with me dosing 50mL NeoNitrate daily. Just hasn't made sense.

Coral are 50/50. Some die, torches not making it or not thriving after shipment. Zoas stunted, mushrooms stunted, SPS stunted.. Acans doing OK.. sometimes they look great. LPS in general is doing well. Fish are fine, zero issues.

Any suggestions on taming this beast I've created? :dizzy-face:

20230228_164814.jpg
 
Nutramar Foods
bearman88 said:
Ok don't ask me how I created this monster, but after dosing ESV 2-part for the past 2 years, I am finally realizing I am overdoing it.

RedSea Reefer 250 (65g). Been dosing 65ml Calcium and 140ml Alk daily, divided by 4 doses each day, offset 30 minutes between Ca/Alk doses.

My calcium has remained stable between 420-450 for many months now. But my alk swings from 9.2-11.2 week to week. I cant keep it stable. The biggest issue is, all my pumps and powerheads are locking up very often. Except my skimmer pump. That is the only one for some reason that hasn't locked up ever.

Also, my nitrates won't read over 5-6ppm usually, even with me dosing 50mL NeoNitrate daily. Just hasn't made sense.

Coral are 50/50. Some die, torches not making it or not thriving after shipment. Zoas stunted, mushrooms stunted, SPS stunted.. Acans doing OK.. sometimes they look great. LPS in general is doing well. Fish are fine, zero issues.

Any suggestions on taming this beast I've created? :dizzy-face:

20230228_164814.jpg
Click to expand...

You are dosing 4 dKH per day, which is too much for that tank.

Here's the advice on how to reduce the precipitation and get back to normal:

1. Stop all efforts to boost pH.
2. Stop dosing alk for a bit and let it decline to 7 dKH.
3. Reduce pH by switching to a low pH alk mix like sodium bicarbonate, or a calcium organic such as Tropic Marin All for Reef.
4. Ensure magnesium is normal to high.
5. Keep organics and phosphate on the high side.

After a few days of not dosing alk, restart slowly, adding additives to a very high flow area so it mixes in fast.
 
Randy Holmes-Farley said:
You are dosing 4 dKH per day, which is too much for that tank.

Here's the advice on how to reduce the precipitation and get back to normal:

1. Stop all efforts to boost pH.
2. Stop dosing alk for a bit and let it decline to 7 dKH.
3. Reduce pH by switching to a low pH alk mix like sodium bicarbonate, or a calcium organic such as Tropic Marin All for Reef.
4. Ensure magnesium is normal to high.
5. Keep organics and phosphate on the high side.

After a few days of not dosing alk, restart slowly, adding additives to a very high flow area so it mixes in fast.
Click to expand...
Thank you very much, Randy. I will follow your advice, but could you please clarify the following?

1) I was not intentionally trying to raise pH, although mine has typically been 7.9-8.0, FYI.
2) Regardless, you are saying I should abandon ESV 2-part altogether and find a new product? Or do I keep the ESV calcium product, and just find a new alk?
3) Do I reduce my 65mL calcium dosing at all? (I am using a Jebao DP-3 auto doser for Alk/Ca). (Calcium has been fairly stable)
4) Are you suggesting I manually dose? I currently dose above the water line, dumping straight into the sump, right on top of my return pump inlet/cage.
 
bearman88 said:
Thank you very much, Randy. I will follow your advice, but could you please clarify the following?

1) I was not intentionally trying to raise pH, although mine has typically been 7.9-8.0, FYI.
2) Regardless, you are saying I should abandon ESV 2-part altogether and find a new product? Or do I keep the ESV calcium product, and just find a new alk?
3) Do I reduce my 65mL calcium dosing at all? (I am using a Jebao DP-3 auto doser for Alk/Ca). (Calcium has been fairly stable)
4) Are you suggesting I manually dose? I currently dose above the water line, dumping straight into the sump, right on top of my return pump inlet/cage.
Click to expand...

The advice I posted applies to all reef tanks suffering from excessive precipitation. Not all aspects apply to your case.

There is a low pH ESV two part (or at least there was), but I see no reason to get it. You need to beak the cycle of preciptiation, then you can go back to your original ESV product.

I'd stop all dosing and monitor alk and calcium until alk drops to at least 7 dKh.
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com
Randy Holmes-Farley said:
The advice I posted applies to all reef tanks suffering from excessive precipitation. Not all aspects apply to your case.

There is a low pH ESV two part (or at least there was), but I see no reason to get it. You need to beak the cycle of preciptiation, then you can go back to your original ESV product.

I'd stop all dosing and monitor alk and calcium until alk drops to at least 7 dKh.
Click to expand...
Excellent, thank you sir. I've stopped dosing both today. I will report back in time. :)
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
bearman88 said:
Hi. It has gone much better now. I dose 10ml daily equal parts.
Click to expand...
Hi, can I ask what your cal and alk numbers are at, are they holding on both?

The reason I ask is I went from seachem Reef complete, fusion 1&2 and ditched it. I then dosed ESV 2 part and found it worked way better then seachem but I thought I could do better and I did. ESV for me is great but not at 1:1 ratios.

Let me rephrase that, it did work well at 1:1 but not for long after a month of testing.
So, If my alk was low but cal was good at say 420-440 but ALK would fall I stopped dosing a 1:1. Generally for me the alk would drop. If the alk dropped the Cal would somewhat remain stable but would also drop a little bit, I learned on my system to leave it alone as just adding part 1 would raise the alk and also somewhat slightly raise the cal and seem to be balanced.

Hopefully @Randy Holmes-Farley can chime in about that.

It's a strange one for me but It worked even though some day of you add say 5ml of part 1 you would have to add equal part 2.. then I see ppl say add whatever is low and it'll keep its balance. It's so hard to weed though all the info on the web.

I've moved on to AFR and it's been a week. I started dosing what TM recommended for water volume. Also they say to get your calcium and alkalinity in check and then start dosing their 1 part. It's been reliable for the week and tonight when testing I could start to see a pattern developing. Cal, alk and mag all dropped slowly but weirdly enough at a level that was relevant to eachother. Thing is I'm away from home 4 days a week and just ask my wife to add AFR daily and just check the dkH. She does that and it gives me an idea what's going on. Anyways this is way to long of a msg but hopefully I can learn through all this.
 
I used ESV tonight to bring my levels back up and now going to increase the AFR and see if I can bang it on the nose for dosing.
 
Top Shelf Aquatics
I can see what's going to happen.. I'll mail this tank and come end of month my WB will be here and I feel like It'll be another learning curve.. :confounded-face:
 
fullinfusion said:
Let me rephrase that, it did work well at 1:1 but not for long after a month of testing.
So, If my alk was low but cal was good at say 420-440 but ALK would fall I stopped dosing a 1:1. Generally for me the alk would drop. If the alk dropped the Cal would somewhat remain stable but would also drop a little bit, I learned on my system to leave it alone as just adding part 1 would raise the alk and also somewhat slightly raise the cal and seem to be balanced.
Click to expand...

FWIW, Seachem Reef Fusion is not properly designed for 1:1 dosing. ESV is designed properly for that.

I'm not really following what happens in your system if you use ESV to maintain alk (that's my recommendation). Unless calcium gets above 550 ppm or below 400 ppm, it is fine.

There are some processes that impact alk and not calcium, such as rising or falling or dosing nitrate, or water changes with a mix not matching the tank (can impact either or both).
 
Randy Holmes-Farley said:
FWIW, Seachem Reef Fusion is not properly designed for 1:1 dosing. ESV is designed properly for that.

I'm not really following what happens in your system if you use ESV to maintain alk (that's my recommendation). Unless calcium gets above 550 ppm or below 400 ppm, it is fine.

There are some processes that impact alk and not calcium, such as rising or falling or dosing nitrate, or water changes with a mix not matching the tank (can impact either or both).
Click to expand...
It was your article you wrote about fusion that changed my mind and went to the ESV 2 part. I then changed to the AFR as it's not changing the SG of the water anymore.

And yes I could only assume higher nitrates due to over feeding to raise the phosphate as it was getting below .015ppm.

Can you validate that dosing ESV doesn't need to be a 1:1 as I'm seeing so much yes and no answers out all across the web?
 
www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com

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